FootballAfter the first nine Saturdays of the season, Zips fans would seriously struggle to say they are proud of anything that has happened on the field.An optimist would say Akron hung with Temple, being down only 6-0 at halftime. Then, as most of us figured would happen, the Owls accelerated.I think Rob Ianello's assessment of the second half was a fair one:

I think that our team got worn out in the second half. Our depth is no where near what it should be, and it is no where near what Temple's is. We have a lot of the guys doing the same things, playing offense and playing special teams, playing defense and playing special teams.

The Zips gained only 20 net rushing yards on 28 attempts. The team gained 154 yards on 12 possessions. That is why the team only made it into Temple's half of the field once.
The ineptitude is not worth debating. Temple's big defensive line is difficult to run on. Temple has a lot of Big Ten talent.
It's worth noting that Akron played solid defense in the first half, that they "came out fired up," according to Temple coach
Al Golden. That is a positive.
Next week, Akron travels to Ball State for the first of three games in four weeks to end this season. The Cardinals are 2-7, and Kent State beat them 33-14 this week. It will be a contest of which team is less suffering from the Eastern Michigan effect.
Here is what I would like to see in those last games:
1)
Patrick Nicely must prove he's a real Division I quarterback. He hasn't looked like one for at least 12 months. 2) The freshmen receivers should continue to develop. A big reason Nicely looks helpless is that he has very little help. Tight end
Richard Hall caught five passes. Receivers
Keith Sconiers and
Antoine Russell combined for eight. 3) The offensive line should lead the charge. A lot of us were concerned about what would happen if anyone on the line was hurt. Well, these guys have been healthy but not very effective. I want to see the running game go for 150 yards per game.
Here is the best part of the story: Akron basketball has its first exhibition on Thursday.